News & articles

The higher education sector is more aware of disability than it was a few years ago. Universities are more willing to provide support, and attitudes have improved. What students describe day to day, however, tells a different story.

Wild garlic, oyster mushrooms and sea beet were once regularly gathered and eaten as part of meals across the UK. Today, some people have concerns about eating food growing in the woods or hedgerows, but are keen to discuss why – as our research shows.

Understanding the make-up of asteroids matters for the future of exploration. But how can we tell what asteroids are made of when most of them are millions of kilometres away?

An Open University team, led by Dr Mark Fox-Powell, has received a research grant with a value of £787,300 from the Science and Technology Facilities Council to transform our understanding of how surface materials on Jupiter’s icy moons record their complex histories.

Open University researchers are leading international advances in planetary protection, helping ensure that space exploration is safe, sustainable, and scientifically rigorous.

Open University PhD candidate, Fiona Brehony's research looks at what environmental knowledge disappears when cities develop.

In a world that feels increasingly serious and pressured, fun can seem like a guilty pleasure — something optional, even frivolous. But what if fun isn’t an add on at all? What if it’s essential?

A new publication introduces a transformative AI approach to studying dinosaur footprints, offering researchers (and enthusiasts!) an objective way to classify tracks and investigate the conditions in which dinosaurs lived.

Open Research Week will return from 16–20 March 2026, uniting Open University researchers and partners to explore how open practices drive engagement, innovation and societal benefit.

The businesses selected to receive funding from the Open Business Creators Fund for Women in Business (delivered by The Open University and sponsored by NatWest) have been announced.